Balanced cable-crane.



W. F. BROTHERS.

BALANCED CABLE CRANE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 5.1907- RENEWED APR. 3. 1917. 12%,15, Patented Nov. 6,1917.

. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1. I I n 'Qq-"i/l nc/weo 4 i" I l W. F. BROTHERS.

BALANCED CABLE CRANE.

' APPLICATION FILED JULY 5,1907. RENEWED APR. 3. 1917.

1 .QQJ), 1 5 Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- /7 ZE WJ WILLIAMr. sno'rnnns, or snooirnriv, new roan.

BALANCED CABLE-CRANE.

mamas.

Specification of Letters Patent. 7

Patented Nov 6, 1917.!

Application filed July 5,19 07,Seria1 No. 382,254. Renewed A pril 3, 1917. Serial No. 159,560.

To all whomz't may. concern:

Be it known that I, 7 IAMF. BROTH- nns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklym'in: the county of Kingsand State of New Yorln have invented certain new and usefulImprovements-in Balanced Cable-Cranes, of which the following is a specification.

The inventionrelates to improvements in balanced cable cranes and'consists essentially in the features hereinafter more fully set forth. I

In the following is described in connection with the accompanying drawings one embodimentof the invention, the features thereof being more particularly pointed out hereinafterin'the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic elevation of one form ofthe invention illustrating one form of thersupporting towers and the application thereto of a sin gle or a series'of cable-ways adapted to span a large area of water surface and means whereby the movement of the supports and counterweights for said cables are limited and their unit of safety secured; Fig. 2 is an elevation of another form of the invention illustrating the same in connection with a pier, showing the counterweights supported on pontoons, the supporting towers for the cable overhanging the waterway; Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation, of a cable-way supportingmeans: and counter weights, illustrating part of thestcu cture shown in Fig. 2; and 'Fig..ttis an elevation partly in section of a modified form of a differential counterweight.

Similar numerals of reference indicate similar parts'throughout the several'vi'ews.

In Fig. 1 ofYthe drawings, 1 indicates a cable suspended between shear legs'2 an'd said shear legs being inturn supported on rails amounted in foundation 5. -Foundation 5 may be counter-sunk beneath the surface of theground or may be a separate structure. The supporting means shown in the drawings are counteresunk in the ground. 6, 6 indicate thecou nterweights suspended from the upper ends of shear legs 2 and 3,by means of cables 7 -8,*8indicate an chors preferably embedded in the ground and 9 indicates a cable or chain connected with the anchors at one end and fastened at the other end to the respective upper ends of said shear legs 2and 3. 10 india definite dash line indicated by a in Fig. 1, shows the cable in its free position having no load thereon, and while inthis position the tension oni-"tlie-cable is at maximum and is much greater than when the cable is inthe position shown ;in the full lines (Fig. 1) because the nearer the cable is to a horizontal'line, the greater the tension on the cable, the tension decreasing as the cable departs from the horizontal. The dotted line indicated by b (Fig. 1) illustrates the position of the cable when carrying a medium load, which load tends to diminish the tension on thecable as hereinabove described. The object of anchors 8, 8, described as being connected toshear legs 2 and 3 by means of chain 9, is to provide means whereby the inward movement of said shear legs is limitechnnd hence to securethe safety of'any loads put upon the cables. I The device shown in Fig. 20f the drawing's illustrates a pier 11 having-constructed thereon a structurel2. '13, 18 indicate supporting base boards having rails 1a mounted thereon adapted to receive wheel or wheels ,15-mounted in the lower ends of shear legs 16, 16,the upper ends of' said shear legs 16, 16 having a cable or plurality of cables 17rfas tened thereto carrying load carriages, 18 5 and '19.

Cable 17 carries a telescoping rod- 20 adapted to prevent the cable from sagging when either of load car:

riages '18 or 19 travels toward the center of the span. Shear legs 16, 16 are shown in Fig. '2, as overhanging the water-way. 21 22 mounted thereon, said counterweights being fastened to the float by, means of bolts 22 23 indicates a deadeye, or reception hook suitably mounted in counterweight 22 and adapted to engage link 24-11 turn adapted to receive a pulley wheel 25 which is adapted to receive an intermediate part of cable 26', comprising a many-reeved fall as shown in Fig. 2, the

of counterweights is a pontoon or float having a plurality u per end of said cable 26 engaging'pulleys 2: suspended from the upper end of shear legs 16 by means of block and pulley 28 and rod 29. One end of cable 26 passes over intermediate pulleys 30 supported by shear legs16 and is fastened to a ring or dead-eye- 31 mounted in auxiliary counterweight 32, said counterweight being shown as one of a plurality of similar counterweights 32, 34,. 33 indicates a series of chains connecting counterweights 32 and 3% together. The weights 32 and 3% in connection with chains 33 comprise an adjustable connection to the gravity anchor forthe cable 26. The counterweights 32 and 34; furthermore act as diflerential counterweights in the manner hereinafter described and normally rest upon or may be fastened to counterweights 22 on pontoon or float 21 The object of the pontoon, counterweights 22, and auxiliary counterweights 32 and 3a is. to provide a counter-balancing member that will at all times equalize the strain on the load-carrying cable; also toprovide means to hold the cable taut thus equalizing all or" the strain onisaid cable in case of a rise or fall in the tidewaters wherein a device of the nature as-abo've described is applicable. 35 indi cates a boat and as illustrated shows the manner in whichthe same may be loaded from a pier or any stationary structure built out into a water-way.

The device as shown in Fig. 4 comprises a pontoon or float 36 having mounted therein stationary bolts 37 provided with heads 38. 39 is a counterweight in any desired weight and has holes i0 cut therein adapted to receive bolts 37. etl indicates an opening in said counterweight 39 to permit the pass ingtherethrough of a chain or other suitable-connecting link 42, fastened atits lower end in dead-eye 43 in pontoon 36, and at its upper end in cross-head or link 44. Said link .44, is adapted to engage a ring a5 fastened in the lowerend of cable 46.

The operation-of the devices hereinbefore dcscribedis asfollows:

lnl ig 1 any load put upon cable 1 is counterbalanced by meuns'of the weight of shear legs 2 and3 and counterweights 6, 6, the movement of the shear legs being limited by. means of anchors 8 and connections 9 whereby the safety of .anyxload put upon said cable issecured, shear legs 2 and 3 being thus permitted to travel but a limited distance. The operation of the structure shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings is simllar to that of the structure of F 1, that is, respecting the means for equalizing the strain put upon cable 17. Any load carriedby load carriages .18 and 19 (Fig. is equalized by means of the differential counterweights 22,32 and 3%. In case of an excessive load on said cable 1? counterwelghts 32 and 3% will be drawn upwardly ports and resting on said, floats to the limit of chain connections 33 and when all of said counterweights are brought into play, will hold the cable 17 taut. If said excessive load requires all of the weight in the'plurality of counterweights 32 and 3t, counterweights 22 on pontoon or float 21 are utilized as well as the weight of the pontoon or float itself and the resistance offered by the suction tending to be set up between the pontoon or float and the water,

the latter obviously acting as a resistant medium. Itvis further obvious that the reverse of the operation has a similar differential or shock equalizing effect, the water resisting the dropping of the pontoon or float, and the counter-weights in their falling and rising gradually arresting or retarding the whipping or lashing motion of the cable caused by letting go the load, thus bringing the cable back to its position of greatest tension without a sudden shock. The combination of all of said counter weights provides a counterweight that will take care of any load put upon the cable and atthe same time provides a device for gradually equalizing any straincput upon the cable. 7 y

In using the word tension in the foregoing specification, I have meant to imply that force in which the tensile strength of the cable comes into play. In the form of device which I have described the tension is greatest when the deflection of the cable is least and the tensionris least when the deflection of the cable is greatest.

It is obvious that the forms of the inven tion as herein shown and described may be widely varied without departing'from the spirit of the invention.

lVha-t'l claim and desire to secure by Letters Patentcf the United States is:

1. A device of the character described including a cable, supports therefor adapted to oscillate from the base with variations of the load upon the cable, means carried by said cable adapted to prevent sagging thereof, floats, counterweights carried by said supand connec tions between said supports and floats adapted to counter-balance a load carried by said cable.

2. A device of the character described including a cable, supports therefor, means carried by said cable adapted to prevent sagging thereof, a float, connections between said cable supports and float, counterweights carried therebyand auxiliary counterweights associated therewith adapted to counter-balance the load carried by said cable. a

3. A device of the character described including a cable, supports therefor, means carried by said cable adapted to prevent sagging thereof, floats, connections between said cable supports and floats,

counterweights carried thereby, secondary lie primary counterweights associated therewith and connections between said primary and secondary counterweights.

4.. A device of the character described including a support, a cable and a counterweight comprising a float having mounted thereon a plurality of counterweights, a pulley fastened to one of said counterweights, a pulley mounted on the upper end of said cable support, a continuous connection between the respective pulleys and a plurality of secondary counterweights, and means for connecting said plurality of secondary counterweights together.

5. A device of the character described in cluding a counterweight comprising a float, a primary counterweight mounted thereon, a secondary counterweight associated therewith, means for limiting the movement of said secondary counterweight and means for connecting said primary and said secondary counterweights together.

6. In a device of the character described the combination with the shear legs, of a gravity anchor, and a many reeved fall for suspending said anchor from said shear legs, one end of the line of the fall being connected to the shear legs and the other to an adjustable connection on the anchor.

7 In a device of the character described the combination with the shear legs, of a gravity anchor, a plurality of weights carried by said anchor and loosely connected together, and a many reeved fall for suspending said anchor from said shear legs, one end of the line of the fall being connected to the,

shear legs and the other to said weights.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, a suspended cable, supports there for, at least one of said supports being capa- Copies of this patent may be obtained for ble of yielding at its base with variations of the load upon the cable, and means associated with said cable and its supports for equalizing the strain upon said cable.

9. In an apparatus of the character described, a suspended cable, supports therefor, a counterweight depending from at least one of said supports, and means cooperating with said counterweight to resist the rising and falling thereof.

10. In an apparatus of the character described, a suspended cable, supports therefor, a counterweight for said cable and means resisting the rising and falling of said counterweight.

11. In an apparatus of the character described, a suspended cable, supports therefor, at least one of said supports being movable about its base, and means for automatically varying the tension on the cable.

12'. In an apparatus of the character described, a suspended cable, supports therefor, at least one of said supports being movable about its base, and means for retarding the cable in its movement to assume the position of no load.

13. In an apparatus of the character described, a suspended cable, supports therefor, at least one of said supports being movable about its base, and means for varying the tension on the cable by retarding the vertical movement thereof.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM F. BROTHERS.

Witnesses ROBERT WV. ASHLEY, THOMAS W. VARLEY.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. 

